Slot machines in a casino are often divided into different areas based on the wager amounts required to play the games in each zone. For example, the slot machines requiring a one-dollar wager may be grouped into one area, and the slot machines requiring a ten-dollar wager may be grouped into a second area. Usually slot machines above a certain wager amount are provided in a “high-roller” area that may be cordoned or otherwise separated from the general casino floor so as to provide a different playing experience. Some players may routinely play in slot areas using credit denominations under one dollar, but the same players may be reluctant to play in the high roller area. This can be because of risk aversion, intimidation, unfamiliarity, or other factors.
Generally, casinos want to encourage players to play in the high-roller areas. Casino reel-based slot machines provide profit to a casino based largely on the amount of money that players wager on them. While slot machine payout amounts vary slightly, they are mostly grouped in a range above 95-98% of the total amount wagered on the slot machine. Therefore the “hold” amount, the approximately 2-5% or less that remains, provides a casino profit that is fairly constant among similar-type games at the same denomination. Increased profitability (and increased prize potential) are obtained by encouraging more “paylines” of wagering, or encouraging play in higher credit-value games like those found in the high roller areas.
One possible method for casinos to increase the amount of money wagered is to provide the option for a player to increase their wager amounts within a game. U.S. Publication No. 2009/0111565 by Suda discloses such an option. That application teaches a reel-type game that has a bonus trigger event. After the trigger event, the player can select a bonus game to play by choosing from several options presented on a separate bonus selection screen. Some of these games provide a chance to change the wager amount, which may provide a bonus-multiplier effect if the player achieves a winning result.
However, merely presenting the player with the option to alter a wager amount in a game would not necessarily persuade him to make a higher wager. If a player is accustomed to making relatively low wagers, they may be reluctant to increase their wager. As a result, the casino may profit less from providing a variable-wager game than it would from a higher-denomination game.
There is a need in a gaming industry, then, for other ways to actively encourage a player to play higher-denomination reel games.